Want to Fight Allergies? Get a Dirty Dog

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Mediator of microbes. A mouse study suggests dust from dogs affects gut bacteria, which in turn may protect against allergies.

A dog in the house is more than just good company. There’s increasing evidence that exposure to dogs and livestock early in life can lessen the chances of infants later developing allergies and asthma. Now, researchers have traced this beneficial health effect to a microbe living in the gut. Their study, in mice, suggests that supplementing an infant’s diet with the right mix of bacteria might help prevent allergies—even without a pet pooch.

What do you think?

Hi Gérard everyone
Around 50 years ago, when a new baby was born , everything had to be sterile. Now it is discovered that being that clean could actually cause more allergies in children. So how do we as parents  find a healthy medium?
Personally I think that everything has to be clean but not sterile. The child must reinforces his body's internal defences. Also vaccinations are important but we have to ask our favourite paediatrician....

Hi Muriel, hi everyone,

> Personally I think that everything has to be clean but not sterile.
I second you.

Let's wait for the words of our favorite pediatrician (no worries, I don't expect the Truth but just feelings after a long experience).

I wrote it somewhere in another topic... our body has lots of foreign organisms (especially in the gut) and we absolutely need them, so, clean but not sterile.
Not easy to find the balance as, for example, it is not advised to give strawberries too early to a baby, but they have to be confronted with "kind" foreign organisms.
Difficult. As a chemist, I distinguish between several kinds of dirtiness. Thus, dirt which is not beautiful on children's clothes, is not the same as bacteria, or chemicals, or radiations.

Muriel, everyone,

If you are interested, here's a list of medical terms that differ between UK and US (many spelling) différences) -> http://www.baby-medical-questions-and-answers.com/pediatrics.html#ans2

Here is the address of a pediatrician's Web site (Dr Maud) -> http://www.baby-medical-questions-and-answers.com/

Gérard a écrit:Let's wait for the words of our favorite pediatrician (no worries, I don't expect the Truth but just feelings after a long experience).

hi Gérard, everyone. He has just said that if the  dirty  dog has got fleas, it is better to leave him in the garden
scratching all the time is not very nice 

gerardM a écrit:Muriel, everyone,

If you are interested, here's a list of medical terms that differ between UK and US (many spelling) différences) -> http://www.baby-medical-questions-and-answers.com/pediatrics.html#ans2

Here is the address of a pediatrician's Web site (Dr Maud) -> http://www.baby-medical-questions-and-answers.com/

very interesting site and very good to learn baby vocabulary